NCJ Number
138564
Date Published
1992
Length
300 pages
Annotation
Written by a psychologist, this book presents violence as a troubling reality of the human condition, theories and empirical findings from several disciplines relevant to violence, and a typology of the violence-prone person.
Abstract
The book is intended to help psychologists, social workers, probation and parole officers, juvenile workers, and correctional staff understand and cope with violent people in the course of their work. It deals with headlines, such as police use of force, acts of criminal violence, and participation in riots, and focuses on violent men who are in some way involved in the criminal justice system. The author takes a social-psychological approach to studying violence; the violent act is always seen in relation to the situation inspiring it. Violence is viewed as an interpersonal phenomenon, as a form of social conduct comparable to other forms of social conduct. By the same token, the author assumes that repeated violence is personally syntonic, that it is a characteristic personal reaction, and that it is invoked by some people with the same consistency persuasion or defiance is employed by others. The first chapter looks at violence from a psychological perspective, with emphasis on patterns of violence and the world of violent men. Subsequent chapters explore the violent incident as a unit of study and motives for police assaults, the violent incident in its personal context, the intersection of perspectives on violence, characteristics of violence-prone persons, and the anatomy of violence. Implications of violence for prevention efforts within the criminal justice system are discussed. An appendix provides a code for interpersonal situations resulting in violence against police officers. References, tables, and figures